Letters, books and learning join forces to achieve a literary learning center within your preschool classroom. Arrange a child-sized seating are with beanbag chairs or small couches next to a bookshelf with picture books centered on the thematic unit for the week and a few entertaining titles. In a storage area, allow students to use tracing cards, sewing letters and block letters to familiarize themselves with the shape and formation of letters while locating them in the short text contained in picture books.
Fine motor development can be described as the use of the fingers and improving one-to-one pick-up ratios for small children. Puzzles, stringing beads and building blocks are a few of the items that can be used for fine motor development. Shape sorters, nesting materials and descending sizes of colorful objects are often used to help children discern between various shapes, colors and sizes in addition to strengthening the ability to manipulate their fingers, leading to improved handwriting skills.
Gross motor development encompasses the enhancement of the entire body. Many gross motor development activities are conducted outside with balls, jump ropes and hula hoops, but some activities can be adapted for indoors and used during inclement weather for daily development. Leave an area, perhaps over the meeting carpet, for dancing activities, a radio and child-oriented music that is both educational and entertaining. Play freeze-dance and musical chairs, or allow children to show their best moves in a gross motor development learning center.
Various artistic supplies are commonly contained for preschool use in a learning center. Construction paper, crayons, colored pencils, markers, washable paints, art smocks and brushes can be stored next to an easel with clips for paper. Make available craft supplies such as pompoms, craft sticks, scrapbook or wrapping paper scraps, stencils and nontoxic stamp pads with stamps for those students wishing to display their creativity. Adapt the week's learning unit into the art supplies. For example, when learning about marine life, offer fish, turtle and whale stencils to reinforce concept learning.
Arrange a dramatic play area in your classroom as another creative outlet for children. Enhance each student's imagination by supplying dress-up and pretend materials centered on home living, child care and community helpers. If the space is available, separate your dress-up costumes and accessories into storage bins that coincide with thematic units. For instance, when studying community helpers, allow children to use the box with construction hats and vests, doctor coats and a farmer's handkerchief and hat.